Obstacle crossing apparatus for directing cable

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for installing aerial cables includes a plurality of elongated members, a plurality of connectors which enable the elongated members to be assembled together in tandem, one or more clips attached to at least two of the elongated members, the clips enabling the assembled apparatus to be suspended from a messenger cable and move freely therealong, a wire gripping member attached to a leading one of the elongated members, the wire gripping member for attaching a leading end of an aerial cable to the leading elongated member, and one or more open ended enclosures attached to at least two of the elongated members, the open ended enclosures for holding the aerial cable and allowing the cable to be slidably withdrawn therethrough. Further, a method for directing an aerial cable across an obstacle, using the apparatus, the method including the steps of attaching an aerial cable to the wire gripping member of the leading elongated member, assembling the elongated members together in tandem and positioning the aerial cable into the open ended enclosures, suspending the elongated members to a section of a messenger wire using the clips, sliding the assembled apparatus along the messenger from the first side of the obstacle toward a second side of the obstacle opposite to the first side thereof, thereby drawing the cable across the obstacle from the first side of the obstacle to the opposite second side of the obstacle, and pulling the cable through the open ended enclosures of the suspended apparatus from the second opposite side of the obstacle.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to apparatus for installing aerial cables of the type supported by utility poles, and more particularly, to an aerial cable installing apparatus that is capable of directing an aerial cable across an obstacle such as a road or river.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Utility poles commonly support many different types of aerial cables including high voltage power lines, cable TV cables, telephone wires, and the like. Most utility poles are arranged along roads and highways. When additional cables are to be suspended between utility poles, specially equipped service vehicles with platforms that can be raised into the air, must be used so that a service person can install the cable to the top of the poles. Unfortunately, this often requires closing the adjacent section of the road or highway to traffic.

The above problem is exacerbated when a new cable must be suspended between utility poles located on opposites sides of the road or highway. Such a scenario often requires the redirection of traffic in the area of the work. Moreover, if the additional cables are to be suspended above existing high voltage power lines, the electricity carried thereby must be shut down prior to suspending additional cables. This in turn results in an inconvenient and sometimes costly loss of power to homes, businesses, schools, etc., that are serviced by these power lines. Accordingly, an apparatus is needed for installing aerial cables which substantially eliminates or reduces the above problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An apparatus for installing aerial cables, the apparatus comprising at least one elongated member, at least one clip attached to the elongated member, the clip enabling the apparatus to be suspended from a messenger cable and move freely therealong, a wire gripping member attached to the elongated member, the wire gripping member for attaching a leading end of an aerial cable to the elongated member, and at least one open ended enclosure attached to the elongated member, the open ended enclosure for holding the aerial cable and allowing the cable to be slidably withdrawn therethrough.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the apparatus comprises a plurality of elongated members, a plurality of connectors which enable the elongated members to be assembled together in tandem, at least one clip attached to at least two of the elongated members, the clips enabling the assembled apparatus to be suspended from a messenger cable and move freely therealong, a wire gripping member attached to a leading one of the elongated members, the wire gripping member for attaching a leading end of an aerial cable to the leading elongated member, and at least one open ended enclosure attached to at least two of the elongated members, the open ended enclosures for holding the aerial cable and allowing the cable to be slidably withdrawn therethrough.

Further, a method for directing an aerial cable across an obstacle, using the apparatus, the method comprising the steps of attaching an aerial cable to the wire gripping member of the leading elongated member, assembling the elongated members together in tandem and positioning the aerial cable into the open ended enclosures, suspending the elongated members to a section of a messenger wire using the clips, sliding the assembled apparatus along the messenger from the first side of the obstacle toward a second side of the obstacle opposite to the first side thereof, thereby drawing the cable across the obstacle from the first side of the obstacle to the opposite second side of the obstacle, and pulling the cable through the open ended enclosures of the suspended apparatus from the second opposite side of the obstacle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The advantages, nature, and various additional features of the invention will appear more fully upon consideration of the illustrative embodiments now to be described in detail in connection with accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembled aerial cable installing apparatus according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the front tube section of the apparatus;

FIG. 3A is a sectional view through line 3A—3A of FIG. 2;

FIG. 3B is a sectional view of FIG. 3A showing the closure section of a cable holding cylinder in an open position;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are end and side elevational views of a roller clip included in the apparatus of the invention;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view showing the operation of the wire cuff of the apparatus;

FIG. 6 is an elevational view showing the apparatus of the invention suspended from a messenger cable suspended between two utility poles; and

FIG. 7 is an end view of the rod member of a suspension clip showing the operation of a spring lock used in the apparatus of the invention.

It should be understood that the drawings are for purposes of illustrating the concepts of the invention and are not to scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

For the sake of clarity, all elements of similar construction will have the same number designation throughout the figures.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a perspective view of an assembled aerial cable installing apparatus 10 according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown. The aerial cable installing apparatus 10 of the invention comprises an assembly of elongated tube sections 12 a-12 e arranged end to end. The tube sections 12 a 14 12 e are assembled together in tandem by connectors 14 that permit adjacent tube sections to bend slightly relative to one another thereby providing the apparatus 10 with a degree of flexibility over a wide variety of assembled lengths.

The apparatus 10 can be easily assembled to virtually any desired length by merely assembling the appropriate number of tube sections together. A plurality of suspension clips 16, attached to one or more of the tube sections, enable the apparatus 10 to be suspended from a steel support or messenger cable 62 (FIG. 6) and slidably moveable therealong. One or more of the tube sections 12 a 14 12 e include cable holding cylinders 18 that slidably accommodate an aerial cable to be installed using the apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 2, the tube sections 12 a 14 12 e are generally equal in length L_(T), typically about 6 feet long, have an outer diameter OD_(T) (FIG. 3A) of about 1.5 to 2 inches, and are made from a substantially rigid, electrically insulative material such as plastic. The connectors 14, connecting the proximate ends of adjacent tube sections, permit the tube sections 12 a 14 12 e to be assembled and disassembled as desired but prevent the sections from becoming detached while hanging cable. Each connector 14 typically comprises a length of chain links 20 a, 20 b, 20 c which extend from within the interior of an associated tube section to the interior of an adjacent tube section. The chain links 20 a-20 c are retained within the interiors of the tube sections by the suspension clips 16, which include downwardly extending rod members 22 that pass through apertures (not shown) in the tube sections 12 a-12 c and the end links 20 a, 20 c of the chain links 20. Generally R-shaped spring locks 24 (FIG. 7) extending through apertures 25 located at the marginal ends of the clip rods 22, prevent withdrawal of the clip rods 22 from the end links 20 a, 20 c and the tube sections 12 a 14 12 e. One skilled in the art will recognize that the connectors 14, suspension clips 16, and spring locks 24 make the apparatus 10 easy to assemble, use, disassemble, transport and store.

The cable holding cylinders 18 are typically about 2 to 3 inches in length L_(C), have an outer diameter OD_(C) of usually about 1 inch, depending upon the diameter of the cable to be installed, and are made from a substantially rigid, electrically insulative material such as plastic. The cable holding cylinders 18 can be integrally molded with the side of their associated tube sections 12 a 14 12 e, or otherwise fixedly attached thereto with conventional fasteners. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, each cable holding cylinder 18 includes a pivotally hinged, split-wall closure section 26 that allows insertion and removal of a cable to be directed and/or hung. Conventional hook and loop fastening means 28 are used to retain the closure section 26 in the closed position.

Referring again to FIG. 1, only certain ones of the tube sections 12 a 14 12 e are provided with the cable holding cylinders 18 in order to minimize friction or drag on the cable to be installed when pulling it through the holding cylinders 18 during installation thereof For example, in the shown embodiment, only the front 12 a, middle 12 c, and rear tubing sections 12 e have cable holding cylinders 18. In most embodiments of the invention, at least the front and rear tubing sections 12 a, 12 e will have the cable holding cylinders 18. The free ends 30, 32 of the front and rear tube sections 12 a, 12 e, are closed by conical-shaped end caps 34, 36 having protruding metallic hook elements 38 each of which allows the attachment of a rope as will be explained further on.

Referring again to FIG. 2, the front tube section 12 a further includes an eyelet 40 which attaches a wire cuff 42 to the front tube section 12 a in front of the first cable holding cylinder 18. The wire cuff 42 attaches the leading end of the cable to be installed to the front tube section 12 a of the apparatus 10 so that front tube section 12 a can be used to draw the cable along as the apparatus 10 is suspended on an associated messenger cable. The wire cuff 42 is a braided element 44 which is constructed similar to well known finger cuffs. The wire cuff 42 is adapted to contract around the inserted end of the cable 60 as shown in FIG. 5 when a pulling force is applied to the cable 60. The wire cuff 42 includes a clip 46 that attaches the cuff 42 to the eyelet 40. Although the wire cuff 42 is used for clamping the end of a cable to the front tube section 12 a in the shown embodiment, it should be understood that other types of cable or wire clamping means can be used for this purpose if desired.

Referring again to FIG. 3A, each of the suspension clips 16 (and the clip 46 of the wire cuff 42) typically comprises a hook member 48 with a manually operated spring biased sliding clip lock 50. The hook member 48 of the clip 16 hooks to and slides along the top of a messenger cable while the clip lock 50 prevents the hook member 48 from disengaging from the messenger cable.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the apparatus 10 further includes roller clips 52 that attach to the apparatus 10 via the suspension clips 16. Each roller clip 52 includes a cylindrical roller 54 with a radially inward contoured roller surface 55. The roller 54 is rotatively mounted between a pair of forks 56. The free ends of the forks 56 include apertures 57 which facilitate attachment of the roller clip 52 to the hook member 48 of a suspension clip 16. The roller clips 52 are used when a larger diameter communications cable 62 a (up to six inches in diameter) or other similar cable is lashed or molded together with the messenger cable 62. The radially inward contouring of the roller surface 55 conforms it to the combined messenger and communications cables 62, 62 a so that the roller 54 can securely roll along the top of thereof without derailing. Roller clips 52 with variously sized rollers 54 can be provided for use on messenger/communications cable packages of different sizes.

The aerial cable installing apparatus 10 is typically transported to and from the worksite in unassembled form. Once at the worksite, a desired number of the tube sections 12 a 14 12 e of the apparatus 10 are assembled together in tandem by inserting the chain links 14 in the open ends of the tube sections 12 a 14 12 e; inserting the rod members 22 of the suspension clips 16 through the tube section apertures and the end links 20 a, 20 c of the chain links 14; and then installing the spring locks 24 into the through apertures 25 of the clip rods 22. The leading end of the aerial cable 60 to be installed is usually inserted into the wire cuff 44 attached to the front tube section and the cable 60 placed in the holding cylinders 18. The cable 60 can be placed in the holding cylinders 18 by opening the pivotally hinged, split-wall closure sections 26, placing the cable 60 in the cylinders 18 and then closing the closure sections 26 and securing them in the closed position with the hook and loop fastening means 28.

FIG. 6 shows the assembled apparatus 10, with the cable 60 to be installed, suspended from the messenger cable 62. In the application depicted in FIG. 6, the messenger cable 62 extends between two utility poles 64, 66 disposed on opposite sides of an obstacle 68 of width W, such as a two-lane road, multi-lane highway, river, or other typical obstacle. The suspension clips 16 (or rollers 52 if the messenger cable 62 is lashed or molded to another cable 62 a of a larger diameter) of each successive tube section 12 a 14 12 e are clipped onto the messenger cable 62 adjacent one of the utility poles 64, and the apparatus 10 is directed across the obstacle 68 toward the other utility pole 66. The apparatus 10 is usually located just above the obstacle 68 and fixed in place so that it can not slide along the messenger wire 62 by attaching ropes 74, 76 to the hooks 38 at the ends of the apparatus 10 and staking the free ends of the ropes 74, 76 to the ground 78 adjacent the sides of the obstacle 68 as shown, or by tying or otherwise attaching the free ends of the ropes 74, 76 to the utility poles 64, 66. The apparatus 10 can also be fixed in place using any other suitable method. For example, clamps (not shown) can be attached to the messenger wire 62 in just in front of and behind one or more of the clips of the apparatus to prevent it from sliding along the wire 62. If the utility poles 64, 66 are close enough together to prevent movement of the apparatus 10, no ropes or clamps need be employed.

Once the cable 60 has crossed the obstacle 68, the leading end of the cable 60 can be detached from the wire cuff 42 and continuously pulled through the cable holding cylinders 18 of the suspended apparatus 10 for many miles beyond the obstacle 68. Additionally, the free ends of the ropes 74, 76 can be unstaked (or detached from the utility poles 64, 66) and the ropes 74, 76 used for sliding the apparatus 10 (pulled with the ropes 74, 76) along the messenger wire 62 to relocate it. All of the above operations can be advantageously accomplished by a single cable installer 72 if desired without having to close the road or highway (the obstacle 68) to traffic, as the installation is accomplished from the sides thereof. Moreover, because the apparatus 10 is made from an electrically insulative material, electricity carried by any lower lying power lines 70 does not have to be shut down during installation of the cable, as accidental contact with such lines with the apparatus 10 will not create an electrical safety hazard for the cable installer 72.

While the foregoing invention has been described with reference to the above embodiment, additional modifications and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, all such modifications and changes are considered to be within the scope of the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for installing aerial cables, the apparatus comprising: at least one elongated member; at least one clip attached to the elongated member, the clip enabling the apparatus to be suspended from a cable and move freely therealong; a wire gripping member attached to the elongated member, the wire gripping member for attaching a leading end of an aerial cable to the elongated member; and at least one open ended enclosure attached to the elongated member, the open ended enclosure for holding the aerial cable and allowing the cable to be slidably withdrawn therethrough; wherein the elongated member is made from an electrically insulative material.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising at least second and third elongated members; and a plurality of the connectors that enable all the elongated members to be assembled together in tandem.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the connectors permit adjacent elongated members to bend slightly relative to one another.
 4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the second and third members includes at least one clip attached thereto for enabling the assembled apparatus to be suspended from a messenger cable and move freely therealong; and at least one open ended enclosure attached thereto for holding the aerial cable and allowing the cable to be slidably withdrawn therethrough.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein at least some of the connectors are associated with the clips.
 6. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the connectors are removably attached to the elongated members.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the clip is removably attached to the elongated member.
 8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wire gripping member is removably attached to the elongated member.
 9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the open ended enclosure includes a lockable closure for facilitating placement therein and removal therefrom of the cable.
 10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the open ended enclosure has a cylindrical shape.
 11. An apparatus for installing aerial cables, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of elongated members; a plurality of connectors which enable the elongated members to be assembled together in tandem; at least one clip attached to at least two of the elongated members, the clips enabling the assembled apparatus to be suspended from a messenger cable and move freely therealong; a wire gripping member attached to a leading one of the elongated members, the wire gripping member for attaching a leading end of an aerial cable to the leading elongated member; and at least one open ended enclosure attached to at least two of the elongated members, the open ended enclosures for holding the aerial cable and allowing the cable to be slidably withdrawn therethrough.
 12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the connectors permit adjacent elongated members to bend slightly relative to one another.
 13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein at least some of the connectors are associated with the clips.
 14. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the connectors are removably attached to the elongated members.
 15. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the clips are removably attached to the elongated members.
 16. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the wire gripping member is removably attached to the leading elongated member.
 17. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the open ended enclosures have a lockable closure for facilitating placement therein and removal therefrom of the cable.
 18. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the elongated members are made from an electrically insulative material.
 19. A method for directing an aerial cable across an obstacle, the method comprising the steps of: providing an apparatus comprised of a plurality of elongated members, at least two of which include a clip attached thereto and an open ended enclosure attached thereto, a leading one of the elongated members including a wire gripping member; attaching an aerial cable to the wire gripping member of the leading elongated member; assembling the elongated members together in tandem and positioning the aerial cable into the open ended enclosures; suspending the elongated members to a section of a messenger wire using the clips, the messenger wire extending substantially above the obstacle and across the obstacle, the section of the messenger wire locate on a first side of the obstacle; sliding the assembled apparatus along the messenger from the first side of the obstacle toward a second side of the obstacle opposite to the first side thereof, thereby drawing the cable across the obstacle from the first side of the obstacle to the opposite second side of the obstacle; and pulling the cable through the open ended enclosures of the suspended apparatus from the second opposite side of the obstacle.
 20. An apparatus for installing aerial cables, the apparatus comprising: at least one elongated member made from an electrically insulative material; at least one clip attached to the elongated member; a wire gripping member attached to the elongated member; and at least one open ended enclosure attached to the elongated member.
 21. An apparatus for installing aerial cables, the apparatus comprising: at least three elongated members; a plurality of the connectors that enable all the elongated members to be assembled together in tandem; at least one clip attached to one of the elongated members; a wire gripping member attached to one of the elongated members; and at least one open ended enclosure attached to one of the elongated members.
 22. An apparatus for installing aerial cables, the apparatus comprising: at least one elongated member; at least one clip attached to the elongated member; a wire gripping member attached to the elongated member; and at least one open ended enclosure attached to the elongated member, the open ended enclosure including a lockable closure. 